


Rose Tea

by RavenclawProngs



Series: Tumbling Through the World [8]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: FACE Family, Gen, Human & Country Names Used (Hetalia)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 03:10:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17459492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenclawProngs/pseuds/RavenclawProngs
Summary: Matthew goes to visit his former guardian.  But no one's answering the door.





	Rose Tea

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally titled _Don't Feed the Fae,_ but that seemed too exciting a title for what's essentially a slice-of-life ficlet.

Matthew knocked on the door for the third time, without much hope he'd be answered.  After several minutes with no answer, he sighed and went to the garden gate, hoping Arthur was merely out back and hadn't actually forgotten Matthew's visit was today.

"I really hope he's back here," he muttered to himself.  "It'll be really awkward if the neighbors call the cops about a trespasser and it's only me..."  In the corner of his eye, he caught a flicker of movement.  He turned to face it and was unsurprised to see nothing there.  Looking back up the pathway, he caught another flicker, further inward toward the garden.

"I really do need to find Arthur," he murmured.

A few small branches swayed, all in one direction.  And against the wind.  Matthew headed in that direction, occasionally stopping to look sideways where he suspected his guide was.

He was relatively sure he was alright to be following whoever this was.  In such a pleasant part of town, in Arthur's well-tended garden, it was unlikely this was one of England's darker fae.  That didn't guarantee he wasn't being led to mischief, but he could probably handle that, if it came.

Suddenly, he found himself in a scrupulously tidy clearing, Arthur on the other side of it, humming along to the radio near his feet as he dead headed a rosebush.

Matthew smiled, unthinkingly turning to where he was pretty sure his guide was, saying, "Tha--" and then he clamped his mouth shut, biting his tongue for good measure.  It didn't do to thank the fae.  They'd take it to mean they'd done something to put you in their debt--and eventually come to collect it.

This played a large part in why he generally pretended he couldn't tell when Arthur's friends were around--it was far too much work to curb his natural politeness around them.  Still, **not** acknowledging the assistance was likely also a terrible snub.

"There he is.  Excellent job on finding him."  For a moment, he thought he heard bells, tiny and indistinct.  He had the acute feeling he was being laughed at, his near slip not going unnoticed.

He sighed.  "Oh, fine, go ahead and laugh at me.  At least you noticed me enough to do so."

Bells again, and also a tiny but sharp tug at a lock of his hair.

He shook his head, not enough to collide with whatever was near him but enough to dissuade further hair-pulling.  Across the clearing, Arthur finished with the bush he was working on and turned to another, catching sight of Matthew as he did so.

"Oh!  Matthew, dear boy.  Has it gotten so late already?  Dreadfully sorry, must've lost track of time.  How was your flight?"

Matthew smiled.  For some reason, Arthur could always recognize Matt as himself when they were at home, either his or Arthur's.  Matthew suspected it had something to do with the Commonwealth.  His uncles, aunt, and cousins could always recognize him when he visited them, too, though they seldom came to **his** house.

"It was fine.  Shall we go inside?  It's just about tea time, isn't it, Dad?"

It was no such time, as Matthew knew very well.  Arthur was just opening his mouth to, no doubt, inform him of just that when he caught the end of what Matthew had said and his eyes softened.

"It's always time for tea.  Come inside, you must be frightfully hot in that jacket."

Matthew nodded placidly, following Arthur into a well-scrubbed and ill-used kitchen, glad such a simple gesture could make his former guardian happy.


End file.
